The present invention relates generally to fuel cell devices, and more specifically to the manufacturing process for MICRO-FUEL CELL.TM. power devices and to their application configurations.
A number of miniature fuel cells suitable for use with portable electronic products are becoming available today, but less attention has been shown to the low-cost mass production and device packaging of these fuel cells for varied applications. There is limited information in the literature concerning such things as the coupling of these miniature cells to the various applications, methods for refueling the cells in a low-cost and efficient manner, or any type of thermal insulation to elevate the temperature of the cell for higher efficiency in various environmental conditions. Another problem with portable electronic appliances is that they need to be kept in a ready position that is secure but easily accessible when needed. For example, cellular phone holsters may use clips and gravity securing devices to keep the phone from dropping when jostled. Another problem with portable electronics is that they can easily be misplaced.
Representative prior inventions of this general type include U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,364,711 and 5,432,023, which describe miniature fuel cells that run on methanol and are used to run electronics, and U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,673,624 ("Fuel Cell") and 5,631,099 ("Surface Replica Fuel Cell"), which describe methods of forming fuel cells. None of those patents describe how to package the fuel cell to efficiently run the electronics applications. U.S. Pat. No. 5,759,712 ("Surface Replica Fuel Cell for Micro Fuel Cell Electrical Power Pack") describes how a fuel cell can be packaged in a general hybrid systems power pack which may be comprised of a fuel cell and other energy sources, such as a battery, flywheel, or solar cells. It mentions cellular phones in particular, but does not appear to describe the coupling configurations or refueling systems for these electrical applications. In this application, the porous gas manifolds and air gaps in the case of the power packs acts as both insulation and water control mechanism. None of those patents mentioned using exchangeable insulation to compensate for different environmental temperature conditions. However, none of those patents discloses or suggests the novel features of the present invention.